I’ve written on this topic before (Fair Assessments and Specials are not Special) but I wanted to provide a few quick thoughts on Special Assessments given a flurry of Facebook posts today.
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” – The Art of War
First, contrary to popular opinion fighting a Special Assessment at the tail end of a project is NOT the right time. The bills are paid and the improvement is made. Unfortunately, this is the point where I see most people start to push back. There are public input opportunities with the Special Assessment Committee but the reality is the project is done and (unfortunately) Specials are the mechanism that exists to pay for most infrastructure projects.
The right time to fight a Special Assessment is before the shovel is in the ground. Take the Sheyenne Street project that has been done over the last few years. I’ve been on the commission for about 20 months. This project predates my time as a commissioner. I didn’t vote for (and personally wouldn’t have) a pedestrian underpass at 32nd Ave. However, years after this was decided the Special Assessments need to be handed out. I’m not an obstructionist. I may not 100% agree with past decisions but the city needs to pay their bills and there will be Assessments handed out for this project.
Basically, fight the right battle at the right time. Fighting decisions at the front-end (before money is spent) is a far more effective battle to wage. This is where the city MUST do a better job (and it has recently improved) to make people aware of those pending projects early in the process.
Secondly, I am pretty sure the whole commission would love to get rid of Special Assessments (we pay them as well). However, that doesn’t lower the cost of putting in a new street or fixing an old one. The city only gets funding from a few sources. The options are limited but infrastructure wears out and needs to be replaced. As I’ve written before, a dollar from my left pocket is worth no more (or less) than a dollar from my right. Basically, if we were to get rid of specials people would simply see other taxes or fees increase. The end result is the same.
Finally, the city owes an obligation to continually improve upon the process, our communications, transparency, and the fairness of Assessments (read about Fair Assessments). There are improvements happening but that doesn’t get rid of specials…which is what some people want to see. I personally hope we can get there but anyone promising to simply get rid of them (without saying how) isn’t being honest. The money must come from somewhere.
I love the conversation and am happy to discuss and hear input anytime.
Eric
January 26, 2020 Update – Just published an additional post that explains the Assessment Districts and when they were started to help show the timing of the entire process. (read about Understanding the Assessment Process)
gjerdevig.com 